I'd Like to See Them Make...

[Thehamguy1]

Popular Science magazine used to have a section where people could publish their wishes for devices that could do things not presently possible. It was called "I'd Like to See Them Make..." How about a thread like that? If there's already one, maybe the moderators could move this post there.

I'll start. I want an app that will convert MOV files to MP4 right on the iPad. That way I can eliminate converting the clips first on my Netbook from the set of steps I have to go through to get a video from my pocket video cam into iMovie or ReelDirector.

An app like this would cause my wallet to spring open like a baby bird's beak at feeding time. IOW, I'd be willing to pay well for that capability.

The problem might not be computing capacity on the iPad so much as getting around iOS' unwillingness to deal with MOV files in the first place (I can get a MOV file to transfer to the iPad--though not via iTunes--but it shows as a blank square labeled "MOV", and I can't do anything with it). I'd like to see that problem solved without having to jailbreak the iPad.

Developers harken!

Your turn.

 

[DontUnderstandMyIpad]

This is probably not helpful at all.

But, the native Video app plays .mov files when you receive them via email.

 

[Thehamguy1]

I didn't know that. It may be the start of another workaround, although I'd need to find a way to get them emailed while away from civilization. The beauty of the solution I want is that I could use a camera connection kit to get the MOV files on the iPad, then convert them on the spot, so to speak, and edit them in one of the video editors. Voila, a vacay movie while still on vacay!

I'll try the email importing tho; thanks for suggesting it.

 

[DontUnderstandMyIpad]

Perhaps the issue is not mov, but rather an unsupported codec. In absence of any other .mov files have I converted an .mts file to .mov, added it to Goodreader via itunes and it also played through Videos.

Container:mov
Codec: H.264/AVC
Audio Codec: AAC LC

 

[Demandarin]

I know u said it already, without jail breaking BUT that's the beauty of it. Can do all of what u said thru jailbreak methods..lol with IFILES, from Cydia. It's the only true pc/Mac style file explorer. It'll let u copy/cut/past whatever u want into or from the iPad. Instead of only seeing the supported photos or vids format on SD card or USB, You can now See every single file that is on that card. Then u can cut n paste it to the internal iPad files in the app of ur choice. My main n sole reason for jail breaking. So I won't need to be chained to iTunes to do those simple tasks. I never use iTunes anymore other thn updating OS or backing up. Other thn that, I can now do everything within my iPad itself ;-)

Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[Thehamguy1]

It occurs to me that some may wonder why all the effort to get video cam files into iMovie when the iPad 2 can take its own video. I prefer my vid cam because:
It's waterproof to 10 feet
It fits in my shirt pocket.
It can shoot in 4 different resolutions.
Image stabilization is built-in.
It has a tripod socket.
There's a $10 remote for it so I can star in my own blockbusters.
With its SD cards I can switch out the storage, thus can keep all clips relevant to a given project together without loading up the ipad's memory.
I already own it. Almost the best $109 I've spent in recent years.

 

[Thehamguy1]

Thanks Demandarin. I'd jailbreak my iPad if it didn't void whatever warranty it has. And as long as upgrades to iOS are relatively frequent won't I have to re-jb it every time an upgrade comes through? I'd thought I'd wait until the upgrades taper off as the iOS stabilizes (will that ever happen tho?).

 

[Demandarin]

It occurs to me that some may wonder why all the effort to get video cam files into iMovie when the iPad 2 can take its own video. I prefer my vid cam because:
It's waterproof to 10 feet
It fits in my shirt pocket.
It can shoot in 4 different resolutions.
Image stabilization is built-in.
It has a tripod socket.
There's a $10 remote for it so I can star in my own blockbusters.
With its SD cards I can switch out the storage, thus can keep all clips relevant to a given project together without loading up the ipad's memory.
I already own it. Almost the best $109 I've spent in recent years.

Good points. Plus I've read of people using the ipad2 to record vids and they STILL WON'T be recognized by imovies unless sync'd to iTunes. Now that blows, royally. SMDH. It all should be able to be done within the iPad itself.

Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[Tarkio]

It occurs to me that some may wonder why all the effort to get video cam files into iMovie when the iPad 2 can take its own video. I prefer my vid cam because:
It's waterproof to 10 feet
It fits in my shirt pocket.
It can shoot in 4 different resolutions.
Image stabilization is built-in.
It has a tripod socket.
There's a $10 remote for it so I can star in my own blockbusters.
With its SD cards I can switch out the storage, thus can keep all clips relevant to a given project together without loading up the ipad's memory.
I already own it. Almost the best $109 I've spent in recent years.

Good points. Plus I've read of people using the ipad2 to record vids and they STILL WON'T be recognized by imovies unless sync'd to iTunes. Now that blows, royally. SMDH. It all should be able to be done within the iPad itself.

Sent from my iPad using iPF

Every video I've recorded on the iPad or imported from the iPhone 4 shows up in iMovie automatically-no iTunes needed at all. Where did you read that?

Converting a bunch of video clips takes quite a while on my 8-core Mac Pro. I would go nuts waiting for the same conversion on the iPad. No thanks.

 

[Thehamguy1]

Yeah, the conversion time is an issue. I was thinking it might go faster on the ipad 2, but no way to test it.

 

[DontUnderstandMyIpad]

Yeah, the conversion time is an issue. I was thinking it might go faster on the ipad 2, but no way to test it.

Could you not export an iMovie project to iTunes and then convert it to .mov on the iMac as well as the iPad?

 

[Thehamguy1]

I believe so, I've noticed my iMac desktop can handle MOV files and see/use them in the OSX version of iMovie, but harkening back to my wish for a way to do all this in environments without wifi and miles from my iMac...I'd still like to be able to do that kind of stuff. It could have been fun to post a video from Devil's Tower or Harney Peak last summer, for instance.

Right now it's idle speculation. I'll just shoot at the remote location and process it all when I get home.